A rock singer is battling a rare type of cancer. Now, he's turning to fans for support. Rock singer Ryan Hamilton is asking fans for help after a terrifying cancer diagnosis landed him in intensive care and left him facing enormous medical expenses.
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The Texas musician recently launched a GoFundMe campaign after being diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in leukemic form. It is a rare type of blood cancer that can be aggressive.
Hamilton revealed that his health crisis began with severe abdominal pain that prompted him to visit an emergency room in Granbury, Texas. Doctors discovered that his spleen was dangerously enlarged, raising concerns that it could rupture. Blood tests also revealed an extraordinarily high white blood cell count of nearly 300,000.
The findings prompted doctors to transfer him to an intensive care unit in Fort Worth, where specialists could provide more advanced treatment. Hamilton spent nearly a week in the ICU before being transferred to the hospital's oncology department.
Rock Singer Talks Cancer Battle
He remained hospitalized for more than another week, undergoing chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and other treatments before doctors determined he was stable enough to return home.
"I made it out of the ICU," Hamilton wrote on his GoFundMe page. "I will never be able to adequately thank the doctors, nurses, and medical staff who made sure I did. From there, I was transferred to the oncology floor, where specialists began treating me for the rare cancer they had discovered."
Although he survived the initial medical emergency, the singer acknowledged that his health has deteriorated significantly. He described experiencing considerable weight loss and weakness following his hospitalization. Doctors have since developed a treatment plan aimed at bringing his cancer into remission.
"Unfortunately, fighting cancer comes with another reality that I wasn't prepared for: the extraordinary cost. I have health insurance. I've also qualified for financial assistance. I am incredibly grateful for both. Even with that help, the expenses I'm facing are overwhelming," the rock singer wrote. "To put it into perspective, just **one** of the medications I have to take costs approximately **$300 per pill**. I have to take one every day for at least the next two years. That's roughly **$219,000 for one medication alone.** And right now, I'm taking eight different prescriptions."
He also wrote, "That doesn't include everything else that comes with cancer treatment: ongoing oncology care, chemotherapy and other treatments, testing, scans, hospital expenses, follow-up appointments, and the financial reality of trying to recover and work while undergoing treatment."
The singer emphasized that his greatest motivation for recovery is his young daughter, Della.
"I want to be here to watch my daughter grow up," he wrote so he's fighting on.
